Bycatch Characterization of Shrimp Trawl Landings off Southwest Coast of India

Bycatch and discards are common and pernicious problems faced by all fisheries globally. It is recognized as unav oidable in any kind of fishing but the quantity varies according to the gear operated. In tropical countries like India, bycatch issue is more complex due to the multi-species and multi-gear nature of the fisheries. Among the different fishing gears, trawling accounts for a higher rate of bycatch, due to comparativ ely low selectivity of the gear. A study was conducted during 2004 to 2006 using shrimp trawl in the traditional trawling grounds off Cochin in the southwest coast of India to rev eal the quality, quantity and monthly variations of bycatch generated by trawlers. Mean monthly bycatch generated by shrimp trawling off Cochin ranged from 1.14 to 38.64 kg h -1 , in different months with an ov erall average of 12.85±1.97 (SE, n=12) kg h -1 . Shrimpbycatch ratio ranged from 1:0.6 to 1:6908, during different months. The study identified 281 species including juveniles of commercially important fishes and shellfishes from the shrimp trawl bycatch.